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Researchers develop dementia app to inform families, patients
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Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago recently launched a free mobile app to increase knowledge and improve quality of life and well-being among individuals with dementia, their families and caregivers.
“Most Americans live without dementia, but they often feel uninformed and fearful of the disease,” Valerie Gruss, PhD, APN, CNP-BC, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, said in a press release.
Gruss and colleagues developed the “Dementia Guide Expert for Families” app with support from a $2.5 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant.
The app provides expert information defining dementia, its various types, contributing factors, risk, symptoms, stages, diagnosis, tests, treatment, management, communication techniques and links to resources and support services.
“We felt the best way to reach the largest audience possible to improve the public’s ability to understand the disease was to develop this app,” Gruss said in the release. “This allows people to recognize early warning signs, enhance their ability to manage or self-manage the symptoms of dementia, and adopt behaviors to improve their health.”
The app is currently only available in English but researchers plan to translate it into other languages in the near future.
Download the app through iTunes or Google Play.